Golf tee holding means

ABSTRACT

For the containment and organization of golf tees a holding means may be used to hold nine or 18 tees so that they will be readily available for use during a golf game and to provide a relatively flat packet of tees from which the latter may be selectively removed or replaced. The packet protects the player from the sharp ends of the tees as they are carried around during the game and keeps the tees in one place for ready use.

United States Patent inventor Edward L. Cicero 52-62 66th St., Mnspeth,N.Y. 11378 Appl. No. 870,034 Filed Oct. 28, 1969 Patented Oct. 12. 1971GOLF TEE HOLDING MEANS 10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 206/37 R, 206/46 H Int. Cl A4$c 11/00 Field 01 Seareh.... 206/46,65, 56 A. 3. 37 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,444,9877/1948 Giessen 229/22 X 1.744,]04 1/1930 Carroll 4. 206/46 GT PrimaryExaminer-Leonard Summer ABSTRACT: For the containment and organizationof golf tees a holding means may be used to hold nine or 18 tees so thatthey will be readily available for use during a golf game and to providea relatively flat packet of tees from which the latter may beselectively removed or replaced. The packet protects the player from thesharp ends of the tees as they are carried around during the game andkeeps the tees in one place for ready use.

PATENTEDfimzml 3.622.261

FIG} |=|c4 Flzs INVENTOR. EDWARD L..' CICERO BY V 1 I Y com: TEE HOLDINGMEANS Common golf tees, whether they be made from wood, plastic orwhatever material, are designed for insertion into the ground and uponwhich the golf ball is supported. The ball is necessarily raised off theground by a distance the. golfer deems appropriate. To facilitateinsertion into the ground, the end of the tee is generally pointed.Golfers generally keep a handfull of these tees in their pockets. As aresult this, the tees become entangled with loose change, ball markersand other tees, with. the very real possibility of injuring the golferwhen he reaches into his pocket by jamming the pointed end of a teeunderneath his fingernail which may be extremely painful; or he mayeventually rip or tear his pocket by the conv stant wear of thepointedly sharp tees.

Actually the greatest number of tees used in a round of golf is l8.However a tee is not always lost or broken so that IS represents themaximum number that would be used-in the average round and thisconception is a golf tee dispenser and organizer which comfortably fitsinto the golfers pocket without bulging and maintains unrestrictedfreedom for the golfers movements. The holder, which may be made in anumber of different designs. organizes the tees that would otherwise becarried around loose, into groups of nine or eighteen so that they willbe instantly available and convenient to the golfer without fumblingthroughout his round of golf. Alleviation of bruised fingernails, tornpockets or unnecessary entanglement with other objects in the golferspocket present a few of the advantages of the present invention. Theholder can be used repeatedly with new or used tees. He simply loads theholder before each round and thenforgets about having to borrow tees forthe remainder of the round and can concentrate on the important aspectsof his game.

important objects of the invention includ s the provision of a holder inwhich tees can be stored so that the sharp ends thereof will beprevented from doing damage to the clothing or person of the wearer orplayer; topr vide a holder which may be made wholly or partly of flexibdor semiflexible material so that the golf tees can be readily removedor replaced quickly and with little effort; to provide s holder intowhich nine or 18 tees may be placed in accordance with the .the strapmember 25 may be accordingly adjusted so that the needs of the game tobe played and means for facilitating the lolding and unloading of theholder so that tees are saved and arranged in accordance with thedesires of the player; to provide a holder preferably made of plasticmaterial having yicldable portions which assist in arraying the tees forconvenient use; to provide a holder which can be carried in the pocketof the players garment without bulging the latter and retarding his freemovements during play; and to provide a holder that lends itself tofanciful configurations for distinctive ownership, is efficient, longlasting and can be readily manufsctured at reasonable cost.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises certainconstructlonshereinsfter described and then particularly pointed out inthe claims and a preferred embodiment of may invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawing in which: 7

FIG. I is a view in side elevation of a tee holder of substantiallyarcuate form arranged to hold a single line or row of tees For easyremoval or replacement and illustrating a novel form Ar holding theimprisoned tees in proper position, v

FIG. 6 is a (vertical section) sectional view showing the opposedarrangement of rows of tees in flanking relation to the central sectionof the holder shaped to, support the [tees in position for ready removalshaped to support the tees'in posi- Referring to the drawing in detail,and in particular to FIGS.

l, 2, 3 and 8, the numeral 10 indicates a base member substantiallychannel shaped to provide a flat bottom it, vertical sidewalls i2 andoverturned or flanged upper edges'l3 which overlie the peripheral edgesof the cupped top portions of the tees 14 supported in the holder,generally designated by the numeral 15.'

The tees are shaped to provide ground-piercing'shank portions 16 pointedat one end as at 17 and having a head 18 at the opposite end, which headis cupped on its face, as well understood, to support a golf ball inposition to be hit by the club of the player. As seen in'FlG. 2, theouter ends, tabs or terminals 19 of the bottom It are notched as at 22to receive the serrations 23 formed at spaced intervals in the sideedges 21 or end walls of a strap member 25 which is shaped to providethe end extension or tabs 19. The median portion 27 of the top of thestrap 25 is of arcuate shape to conform concentrically to the arcuateshape of the bottom or base and constituted a chanelled enclosure 26 ofsubstantially semicircular cross section to imprison the upper pointedends of the tees and provide (o) a protective shield for the sharp endsthereof. The tab 19 at the opposite end is to facilitate the removal ofthe tees from the left end of the holder, the right-hand strap havingthe same function with respect to the right-hand end of the holder. Bothstrap members constitute end walls, as hereinafter referred to. r

it is quite evident that, as the tees are used from the holder,

remainingtees are held in place and cannot fall out. The tees are ofwood,-plastie or other suitable material and are arranged for use ingroups of nine or 18 as preferred.

Reference to FIG. 5 will show that easy removal of the tees is possibleby forcing the pointed ends thereof fromthe channelled enclosure (26)'45 trough or cap means by deforming the flange 45 by means of the ridge46 because the material of F l6. 2 is a view of one end of the holdertaken on the line I 2-2 of FIG. I showing the relation of the adjustablestrap tee securing means to the body of the holder,

FIG. 3 is a (vertical) section through the holder taken on the line 3-3of FIG. I with the end wall omitted and illustrating the relativeposition of the tees within the holder.

FIG. 4 is a (vertical) section similar to H0. 3 showing a holder shapedto contain it! tees and the means of arranging the same for convenientremoval,

HO. 5 is a (view in vertical section) sectional view of a modified formof holder of unitary structure made preferably from a yicldablcsubstance that permits removal or replacement of the teen as desired,

the device is somewhat flexible or yieldable for this purpose.

Referring to FIG. 4 which may be a section as on the line 7 3-3 of FIG.1, through a slightly modified structure, the base thereof 28 of arcuateshape, as shown in HO. 1, is shaped to provide double parallel channels29 formed by a central wall 3! having a flared upper edge 32 whose edgesoverhang the enlarged head portions 33 of the tees to coact with similarflared edges 34 fonned at the upper edges of the vertical side or outerwalls 35 of the channel-shaped base 28. The tees are held in place orimprisoned at their upper pointed ends in the channel-shaped strap orcapping member 36 having dcpending flanges 37 at opposite sides thereof.While it is not deemed necessary to be illustrated, it will beunderstood that the opposite ends of the channelled enclosure or capmember 26 of FiG. 3 and the extended integral strap members may be ofthe type shown in FIG. 1. While preferably integral, the straps may beadjustable as shown in FIGSJ and 2. Where the shape of the holderpermits, suitable end walls 30 may be used to prevent loss of the tees.

Referring to. the fonn of the invention shown in FiO. 5, the holder 38is molded or otherwise formed to provide a base portion 39, the sectionbeing at the point denoted by line 3-3 of FIG. I. The base portion 39provides a channel 41 bounded at one side by a flange 42 having aretaining ledge 43 formed along the upper edge of the flange 42 foroverlying the heads of the tees; and at the opposite sides provides awall 44 tcrminating at its upper end in a-strap or capping enclosure 45which is of inverted trough shape to cover the pointed ends of the tees.The cap 45 is provided with a ridge 46 so that the golfer may use hisfinger to snap the top open at the location where removal of a tee isnecessary, or in loading the holder.

in the modified form of HO. 6, the holder 47 is shaped to provide a base48 presenting twin channels 49 for holding the heads of the tees. Thechannels have sidewalls 51 presenting tee-retaining ledge 52 and acentral wall 53 having a bulbous portion 54 adjacent the lower portionthereof to overlie the heads of the tees and along with the sidewalls 51and ledges 52 being yieldable for manual access to the tees. The upperend of the central wall 53 is shaped to form a top section 55 providingparallel capping enclosures 56 overlying the pointed ends of the teesand edge lips 57 for convenience in lifting a section of the top where atee is to be removed or replaced. Referring to FIG. 7. the holder 58 isarranged to hold tees at opposite sides thereof in reversed position,and to this end, the opposite faces of the holder. defined by a centralwall 59 are each shaped to provide lower and upper channels 61 and 62.respectively. having sidewalls 63 and tee-retaining rims or ledges 64along with lower and upper capping channels or enclosures 65 and 66respectively whose edge rims 67 yieldably retain the pointed ends of thetees in place.

it is evident that in each of the forms of the invention shown in FIGS.3 to 7 inclusive, the holders may be of rectangular shape havingsuitable end closure walls or may be of arcuate shape having fixed oradjustable strap means at the opposite 7 ends thereofas shown in HO. 1.

My invention is not to be restricted to the precise details ofconstruction shown since various changes and modifications may be madetherein without departing from the scope of the invention or sacrificingthe advantages to be derived from its USC.

What I claim is: v.

l. A molded flexible golf tee container comprising;

a. a channel-shaped base portion having sidewalls for holding the headsof golf tees.

b. a channel-shaped top section for imprisoning the sharp ends of thetees and spaced from said base portion in accordance with the length ofthe shank portions of said tees, and

c. end walls connecting said base and top sections at up posite endsthereof for providing a substantially (rigid) self sustaining structurethereof.

2. A golf tee container of the character set forth in claim 1.

in which:

a. an end wall is serrated on the opposite side edges thereof,

and b. said base portion is notched at an end thereof to receive theserrations of said serrated end wall whereby said top section can beadjusted to provide for the tee capacity of said holder. 3. A golf teecontainer of the character set forth in claim 1 wherein:

a. said base portion is substantially arcuate in form, b. said topsection is substantially arcuate in form and parallel to said baseportion. and said c. end walls are yieldable for disengagement at thelower ends thereof for providing access to said tees. 4. A golf teecontainer of the character set forth in claim 1 wherein:

a. said base portion includes a central wall and sidewalls.

b. said central and sidewalls each being shaped to provide upper flarededge portions overlying the heads of the tees,

and c. said top section being substantially as wide as said base portionto accommodate the upper sharpened ends of parallel rows of tees mountedin said container. 5. A golf tee container of the character set forth inclaim 1. wherein:

a. a wall portion connects said base portion and said top section at oneside of the container, b. one of the sidewalls of said base portionhaving a retainsection for facilitating selection of the tees when thecontainer is flexed to expose the upper ends thereof.

6. A golf tee container of the character set forth in claim I,

wherein:

a. central vertical wall means connect said base and top portionslineally of the container to provide tee holding spaces at oppositesides of said container, and

b. said holding spaces each being shaped to provide twin parallelchannels in the base portion including sidewalls and capping enclosuresin said top portion.

7. A golf tee container of the character set forth in claim 6.

wherein:

a. tee-retaining ledges are formed on the upper edges of said sidewalls,

b. a bulbous portion is said vertical wall means adjacent said twinparallel channels and coacting with'said retaining ledges to overly theheads of the tees, and

c. lips on the free edges of said capping enclosures for facilitatingaccess to said tees.

8. A golf tee container of the character set forth in claim I;

wherein:

a. central vertical wall means connect said base and top portionslineally of the container to provide tee holding spaces at oppositesides of said container,

b. said holding spaces each being shaped to provide twin parallelchannels disposed diagonally opposite each other in said top and baseportions for receiving the heads of said tees. and

c. said holding spaces each being also shaped to provide twin cappingchannels disposed diagonally opposite each other in said top and baseportions for receiving the pointed ends of said tees.

9. A golf tee container of the character set forth in claim 8,

wherein:

a. said channels each provide a sidewall. and

b. ledges along the edges of said sidewall coacting with a face of saidvertical wall means to retain the heads of tees in place.

10. A golf tee container of the character set forth in claim 8.

wherein:

a. said channels each provide a sidewall.

b. ledges along the edges of said sidewall coacting witha face of saidvertical wall means to retain the heads of the tees in place, and

c. said twin capping channels each being shaped to provide a thickenededge rim adapted to be flexed to provide ac-l cess to said tees.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent: No.3412.261 Dated October l2 1971 Inventor(5) Edward L. Cicero It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the upper right hand of the drawing "3,622,261" should read 3,612,261Column 1, line 57, "may" should read my lines 66 and 69, cancel(vertical) each occurrence; line 72, cancel "(view in verticalsection)". Column 2, line I, cancel "(vertical section) lines 4 and S,cancel "shaped to support the tees in position for ready removal"; line31, "constituted" should read constitutes line 34, cancel (o) Column 3,line 45, cancel (rigid) Signed and sealed this 24th day of October 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 ORM PO-1G5O UO-EQ! n u s sovnrmzmPRINYING OFFICE: was o-3sc-ssi

1. A molded flexible golf tee container comprising; a. a channel-shapedbase portion having sidewalls for holding the heads of golf tees, b. achannel-shaped top section for imprisoning the sharp ends of the teesand spaced from said base portion in accordance with the length of theshank portions of said tees, and c. end walls connecting said base andtop sections at opposite ends thereof for providing a substantially(rigid) self sustaining structure thereof.
 2. A golf tee container ofthe character set forth in claim 1, in which: a. an end wall is serratedon the opposite side edges thereof, and b. said base portion is notchedat an end thereof to receIve the serrations of said serrated end wallwhereby said top section can be adjusted to provide for the tee capacityof said holder.
 3. A golf tee container of the character set forth inclaim 1 wherein: a. said base portion is substantially arcuate in form,b. said top section is substantially arcuate in form and parallel tosaid base portion, and said c. end walls are yieldable for disengagementat the lower ends thereof for providing access to said tees.
 4. A golftee container of the character set forth in claim 1 wherein: a. saidbase portion includes a central wall and sidewalls, b. said central andsidewalls each being shaped to provide upper flared edge portionsoverlying the heads of the tees, and c. said top section beingsubstantially as wide as said base portion to accommodate the uppersharpened ends of parallel rows of tees mounted in said container.
 5. Agolf tee container of the character set forth in claim 1, wherein: a. awall portion connects said base portion and said top section at one sideof the container, b. one of the sidewalls of said base portion having aretaining ledge along the upper edge thereof for overlying the heads ofsaid golf tees, and c. ridge means along the upper, outer surface ofsaid top section for facilitating selection of the tees when thecontainer is flexed to expose the upper ends thereof.
 6. A golf teecontainer of the character set forth in claim 1, wherein: a. centralvertical wall means connect said base and top portions lineally of thecontainer to provide tee holding spaces at opposite sides of saidcontainer, and b. said holding spaces each being shaped to provide twinparallel channels in the base portion including sidewalls and cappingenclosures in said top portion.
 7. A golf tee container of the characterset forth in claim 6, wherein: a. tee-retaining ledges are formed on theupper edges of said sidewalls, b. a bulbous portion is said verticalwall means adjacent said twin parallel channels and coacting with saidretaining ledges to overly the heads of the tees, and c. lips on thefree edges of said capping enclosures for facilitating access to saidtees.
 8. A golf tee container of the character set forth in claim 1,wherein: a. central vertical wall means connect said base and topportions lineally of the container to provide tee holding spaces atopposite sides of said container, b. said holding spaces each beingshaped to provide twin parallel channels disposed diagonally oppositeeach other in said top and base portions for receiving the heads of saidtees, and c. said holding spaces each being also shaped to provide twincapping channels disposed diagonally opposite each other in said top andbase portions for receiving the pointed ends of said tees.
 9. A golf teecontainer of the character set forth in claim 8, wherein: a. saidchannels each provide a sidewall, and b. ledges along the edges of saidsidewall coacting with a face of said vertical wall means to retain theheads of tees in place.
 10. A golf tee container of the character setforth in claim 8, wherein: a. said channels each provide a sidewall, b.ledges along the edges of said sidewall coacting with a face of saidvertical wall means to retain the heads of the tees in place, and c.said twin capping channels each being shaped to provide a thickened edgerim adapted to be flexed to provide access to said tees.